Activity of European common bats along railway verges

Vandevelde, J.; Bouhours, Alice; Julien, Jean‐François; Couvet, Denis; Kerbiriou, Christian

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2013.12.025

Cited by 32 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…To date, most research has focused on species with high socio-economic profile, like large charismatic mammals, or on those with limited mobility, like herptiles (van der Grift 1999;Dorsey et al 2015). Broadening the scope of research is important, because mitigation measures designed for some species may be inappropriate for others, thus requiring informed adjustment based on scientifically sound information (Clevenger and Waltho 2005;Morelli et al 2014;Vandevelde et al 2014;Wiacek et al 2015;see Chap. 16).…”

Section: Railways Travel Towards Environmental Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

What’s Next? Railway Ecology in the 21st Century

et al. 2017

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Predicting is very difficult, especially about the future, attributed to Niels Bohr.Abstract As societies realise the importance of maintaining biodiversity and, accordingly, acknowledge the need for monitoring, minimizing and compensating the impacts of socioeconomic activities, including transportation, more scientists will be called to address these societal challenges. Railway Ecology is emerging in this context as a relatively new field to identify and provide solutions to the specific environmental problems associated with the building and operation of railways, particularly their impacts on wildlife. This is an interdisciplinary field that uses and draws methods from other disciplines, ranging from ecology and genetics, to statistics and computer simulations. Here, we summarize the guidelines to address railway-related biodiversity conservation problems as they were identified in the several chapters of this book, and recommend lines for future research.

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Section: Railways Travel Towards Environmental Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

What’s Next? Railway Ecology in the 21st Century

et al. 2017

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“…In this case, railway verges seem to be used as shelters for bat species despite the traffic noise; only Myotis sp. foraging behaviour was negatively affected by railway verges (Vandevelde et al 2014).…”

Section: Mammalsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Railway Disturbances on Wildlife: Types, Effects, and Mitigation Measures

2017

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In this chapter, we review the level of disturbance caused by railways due to noise and vibration, air, soil and water pollution, and soil erosion. There is evidence that soil and hydrology contamination may affect vegetation and aquatic fauna while noise can affect terrestrial vertebrates. In fact, noise, light, and vibration due to railways have been observed to reduce the abundance and richness of some insects, amphibians, and birds, and to cause avoidance behaviour on predators. Interestingly, reptiles, some bird species, small mammals, and large mammals seem to ignore rail traffic and benefit from the vegetation planted in the railway verges that provide food and shelter. Some engineering structures have been implemented to reduce the effects of railway disturbance: rail fastenings, rail dampers, under-sleeper pads, and noise barriers are applied to minimize noise and vibration; washing with water and cleaning the ballast are used to mitigate soil pollution; and grass plantation, the use of gypsum and application of compost/mulch coverage, are applied to control soil erosion.

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“…These species could perceive railway verges as an inadequate habitat and in addition could be impacted by the fragmentation effect of these verges. Conversely, aerial hawking species that generally forage in more open habitats, such as species of the genus Pipistrellus, Nyctalus or Eptesicus, could benefit from the edge effect of railway verges, using them as a foraging/commuting habitat (Vandevelde et al 2014).…”

Section: Bats Along Railway Verges In An Intensive Agricultural Landsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…railways. We thus decided to examine the role of railway verges as a habitat for two groups: common bats and Tettigoniidae (Orthoptera) (Vandevelde et al 2014;Penone et al 2013).…”

Section: Vegetation Of Railway Verges In Francementioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological Roles of Railway Verges in Anthropogenic Landscapes: A Synthesis of Five Case Studies in Northern France

Vandevelde

Penone

2017

Railway Ecology

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This chapter presents the results of several studies realised between 2010 and 2014 on the French railway network. We assessed several potential ecological roles for this network on various taxa: (1) habitat, (2) corridor/longitudinal connectivity along railways and (3) barrier/transversal connectivity across railways. Our results show that railway verges, contrary to common belief, can have positive effects in anthropogenic landscapes for several taxa and communities. They can be habitats for semi-natural grassland plants, bats and orthopteran. They provide functional connectivity for some plants, but do not seem to increase it for highly mobile invasive species in urban landscapes. Railways also seem to be weaker barriers than roads for one butterfly species. We conclude by proposing a change in management practices, stressing that extensive management coupled with small-scale revegetation processes, either artificial or natural, may help increase the positive effects of railway verges and counteract the negative large-scale effects of urbanisation.

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Activity of European common bats along railway verges

Cited by 32 publications

References 35 publications

What’s Next? Railway Ecology in the 21st Century

What’s Next? Railway Ecology in the 21st Century

Railway Disturbances on Wildlife: Types, Effects, and Mitigation Measures

Ecological Roles of Railway Verges in Anthropogenic Landscapes: A Synthesis of Five Case Studies in Northern France

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